When it comes to buying make-up there's simply no stopping me it really is my vice! I own heaps and heaps of the stuff and I just buy whatever I fancy really. I'm a fan of big brands such as Max Factor, Benefit and Urban Decay but unless I'm in need of something in-particular (which is very rare due to the amount of make-up I actually own already!)I will be swayed by special offers and free gifts of course! Which is how I come to owning this eyeshadow. Mine came in a lovely pink box with other free gifts when I spent five pounds on any 17 products and I needed some nail care stuff so swayed into purchasing this brand I was!

I'm not really a fan of 17 products and much prefer the more grown up approach from it's big sister No7 however there is a price difference it has to be said so as I say I plumped for getting the stuff I needed from the cheaper range and getting some free goodies to try out!

The Packaging....

Normally a dark grey screw apart plastic, round container with see through window of which you can see you colour through and on the top in silver lettering which tells you it's '17 Eyeshadow'. On the base your told your colour and given contact details for Boots and the recycle symbol is on there. However mine being a freebie was a special edition and came in a cardboard round pot which has a multi-coloured pattern on it and a drawn on picture of a hippie looking chic on it and I'm told on the front that it's 17 and on the base I'm told that it's 17, 'Vintage, Yeah Baby Eyeshadow, contact details for Boots is on there and the recycle symbol is on there too. To get into mine the lid pulls on and off and it's a very cute little box but be aware these one's are not available to buy they are limited edition and the one's available to buy are the same product as I have but you only get my sort of packaging as free gifts so the ones you will buy are alot plainer.

What Boots Say About 17 Eyeshadow....

17 Solo Eye-shadows are individual pots of silky smooth, intense eye colour from pearly iridescents and sit-up-and-notice-me shades to the softest matte nudes.

Using It....

Well this isn't the first '17' eyeshadow I've used. I have owned other shades in the past so I am quite familiar with the brand.

My particular eyeshadow is rather impressive to be fair. The colour I have is a slightly shimmery goldish colour and although a light colour the formula is a rather moist powder. It smooths on the eyes lovely and feels light as a feather on and makes eye feel very smooth and hydrated with not one hint of heaviness. It doesn't crack or cake over time and stays on without irritating eyes for about 8 hours and wipes off very easily with make up remover wipes or cleanser and toner. It's just a very simple eyeshadow to use with no transfer but after 8 hours it does start to fade a little. Still, in my view that's not bad going for an eyeshadow this cheap and if you notice any fading you can of course make sure the area is grease free and add a little more over the top and again it doesn't crease or get heavy or anything.

Now I like the lighter colours in the range. Some of the darker colours I have found to be a bit more powdery than the lighter colours for some reason and flatter in colour as well which in my view makes them harder to apply and they do fade quicker as the colour is more noticeable and mistakes are more shown up. I owned a dark blue one a while back and the powder flaked everywhere during application and it was hard to evenly coat my eye lid for that reason. However even the darker colours do remove well just don't expect them to be a dream to apply but it is achievable to get an ok look just sadly after a about an hour I found the colour to fade quite badly and smudge!

At the moment there are 6 colours available to buy in the solo colours and they are £2.89 each. There are also solo glitter eye-shadows available at £3.19 each and 6 colours available and trio compacts at £4.99 and in 10 colours which have 3 colours in each that mix and match.

Overall I recommend the lighter shades which seem to have a different, shimmery kind of colour to them and are much easier to apply due to their texture but the darker one's I don't recommend due to the powder being a bit dry and harder to apply it onto the eyes.